The Engineered Profiles Solution
The required flexibility, combined with the challenge of optimizing run size efficiency, makes managing this issue with additional inventory both costly and problematic. It was determined that the earliest point when actual demand was known occurred when the customer's order fulfillment system recognized their customer's purchase order (PO). This recognition happened one to two weeks before the demand was communicated to Engineered Profiles for replenishment, which was based on when the parts were actually shipped to the customer. Monitoring this on a daily basis is nearly impossible and relies on constant communication, often leading to decisions based on outdated information.
Engineered Profiles implemented a clear solution that solved the supply chain issues. Our system was connected directly to the customer's ERP system so we could see PO Activity real time. This allowed us to develop an algorithm that could constantly massage and In addition this would occur much earlier in the fulfillment cycle and allow for far more flexibility for last minute changes or adjustments to the extrusion run sequence.
